Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the problem was finally solved.
Afterwards, the village chief explained that he had asked the ancestor to take the ice back first. If everyone still wanted to use it, a sacrifice would be held, and only then would the ancestor appear and bestow the ice back.
Our ancestors are very weak now, and their magical powers are not strong. When we worship and kneel in worship, we must be sincere in our hearts in order to gather the power of our vows to help our ancestors restore their vitality. Only in this way can our ancestors bestow more blessings upon us.
Upon hearing this, Chen Kai looked up at the sky speechlessly. They had no idea that the village chief also had the potential to be a charlatan!
Upon hearing this, the members of the Bai clan were overjoyed and extremely excited.
"Village chief, you can communicate with the ancestors now?"
"Yes, this is the first time we've communicated like this."
"Village chief, have we brought shame upon our ancestors? Are we unfilial children and grandchildren?"
"Our ancestors said no, they told us to live well."
The village chief didn't want to play tricks, but they needed a belief to keep them going.
After the ice problem was solved, the team stopped collecting bamboo tubes, since they had collected enough. They would still collect other kinds if they had them.
Evening arrived quickly.
Today, before the food was distributed, the village chief told everyone some good news: each household could receive a bottle of water, and each family should prepare a bamboo tube to hold the water. Also, prepare an extra bamboo tube to cook food for everyone.
The tuberous foods that the team collected today, such as Smilax glabra and Smilax china root, were cooked into two large buckets, the kind with more soup than food.
There was no other way; food was scarce, and the village chief only used water because Old Man Chen said there was enough.
There were just a few earthenware pots, and they boiled the food in each pot for a long time.
The village chief also asked the Bai clan members to hold a simple sacrificial ceremony for their ancestors after the meal, and anyone who wanted to participate was welcome to do so.
Actually, he just wanted to find an excuse to take out the ice, fill all the empty containers, and distribute what he could, since so many people were thirsty.
In addition, the team also distributed three 5L bottles of water to the people of Lijia Village. Of course, they had to fill them with their own things and take the bottles back with them.
The people of Lijia Village were all deeply grateful, thinking that they must go to the sacrificial ceremony later to kneel down and express their gratitude.
The newly elected village chief of Lijia Village said, "These people are really good. We are so lucky to be able to join their ranks."
An elderly man from Lijia Village said, "Yes, we can't do anything, but they don't mind at all. They even treat us, save our lives, and share water with us. We should repay their kindness."
Outside the rest area, stalls were set up for half the afternoon, but nothing was traded; everyone's money was snatched up, and everyone was broke.
The Chen family cooked a large pot of beef soup today. Zhou took a takeout box, filled it halfway, and prepared it for her good son.
"Come, come, bring over all your bamboo tubes."
There weren't enough takeout boxes or wooden bowls, so the kids who wanted to eat had to be put in bamboo tubes.
Zhou filled the bamboo tubes halfway for each of the children, but after only four tubes, the earthenware pot was almost empty. So she had to add more water and put in the shredded beef jerky to cook.
Beef soup was a treat reserved for children; adults could only drink a mushy soup made with Smilax glabra and Smilax china root.
Old Chen was in a good mood and sent four 5L bottles of water to the homes of the village chiefs of Dashan Village, Hehua Village, and other villages.
At that moment, the village chief's family next door was also cooking a thick soup.
The village chief took a few steps and arrived at the Chen family's house. Seeing that Chen Dong was in a good mood, he asked, "Has your family struck it rich? So much water?"
Old Man Chen: "Don't you still have some with your grandson?"
Village chief: "Those belong to the team, and everyone uses them."
Old Man Chen: "Hurry up, pack all that ice out and distribute it. One earthenware jar per family is fine. After you've distributed it, I'll give another piece to the team."
The village chief's eyes widened: "It's this big?"
Old Man Chen: "Isn't that obvious!"
The village chief said worriedly, "But there aren't enough containers to hold them all. We can fill them up a little more later, but not many."
Tonight, the kiln over there is starting to fire. The people from Lotus Village have found some clay and have made a batch of pottery jars. They'll put them in to fire tonight, and they should be able to get a batch of jars in the next few days.
We were worried when there was no water, and we're still worried now that we have water, because we have nothing to store it in.
Old Man Chen: "Hurry up and get the water out of the water as soon as possible. My family wants to take a bath."
Village Chief: "..." I really want to hit someone.
The Chen family really wanted to take a bath; they were too dirty and it would make them sick.
However, since the team was so short of water, they didn't dare to take a shower or wash their hair in front of everyone, as it would attract too much hatred.
Once everyone has access to water, their family's bathing and other activities won't attract so much resentment.
The village chief is going to hold a sacrificial ceremony, so he needs to distribute the ice to everyone as soon as possible.
After the sacrificial ceremony, the village chief had people carry the ancestral tablets into the thatched shed. As usual, the core members stayed behind, and others were not allowed to enter. However, this time he brought Bai Chuan and Bai Yu in with him.
After taking out the ice, we continued smashing and filling it! We then asked each family in the team to send someone to collect the water from the melted ice, one bottle per family.
The team members felt so happy today, receiving so much water and their own children drinking plenty of it.
Xiao Bao woke up groaning, feeling so much pain, so thirsty, and so hungry.
The little boy exclaimed happily, "Dad, Mom, my little brother is awake! Come on, little brother, have some water."
Xiao Bao took big gulps of the drink. "Huh? It's ice cold? So refreshing!"
"Mom, it hurts, it hurts so much!"
Chen Xiaohua said with concern, "Where does it hurt, Xiaobao? Let me put some ointment on it for you."
Xiao Bao said uncomfortably, "My whole body aches, but my face hurts even more, and it hurts to talk."
Poor little Bao, his face is all swollen from the fall.
Chen Xiaohua took a plastic bag filled with ice, wrapped it in a cloth, and applied it to Xiaobao's face.
Xiao Bao felt something cool and refreshing, which felt so good. "Mom, what is this?"
Chen Xiaohua: "Ice cubes wrapped in cloth."
Da Ya finally couldn't help but cry out in pain, so Chen Kai had someone fill a plastic bag with ice, wrap it in a cloth, and apply it to Da Ya's skin.
Ice can reduce swelling and relieve pain. After Da Ya was given an ice pack, she felt much better, and the swelling gradually subsided.
Without ice packs, this is the only way to make do.
Xiao Bao felt better and said he was hungry. Zhou brought in a large box of beef soup, and Xiao Bao, who was really starving, drank the whole box.
"Mother? Do we have water to drink?"
"Yes, Da Ya went to Sha Niu's place and dug up a lot of ice blocks. They're huge, enough for us."
"Mom, my cousin Daya's bubble ball is so much fun! It can fly, and it flies really high. Next time, let's find a safe place and I'll take you to play with it."
Chen Kai: "..." This brat probably thinks the fall was too light.
Even Da Ya couldn't help but cover her face.
Chen Xiaohua said helplessly, "Okay, okay, we'll talk about it when you're better."
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